Flexible shaft extender and method of using same

ABSTRACT

An extender for use in an electro-mechanical surgical system that includes a surgical attachment that may be detachably coupled to an electro-mechanical driver device via a flexible shaft. The extender is a substantially rigid extender that includes a proximal end that may be detachably coupled to a distal end of the flexible shaft. The extender also includes a distal end that may be detachably coupled to the surgical attachment. The extender also includes at least one rotatable drive shaft configured to engage and be secured with a respective rotatable drive shaft of the flexible shaft such that rotation of the respective rotatable drive shaft of the flexible shaft by the electro-mechanical driver device causes the at least one rotatable drive shaft of the extender to rotate, thereby rotating a complementary connector of the surgical attachment so as to operate the surgical attachment. The extender may include a memory unit and a data cable that transfers data from the memory unit to an electro-mechanical driver device. Additionally or alternatively, the extender may include a data cable that transfers data from a memory unit in the surgical attachment to the electro-mechanical driver device. Advantageously, the extender is autoclavable.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 60/592,778, entitled “Flexible ShaftExtender,” filed on Jul. 30, 2004, which is expressly incorporatedherein in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a surgical device, and moreparticularly to a flexible shaft extender, and a method for using same.

BACKGROUND

Various surgical systems are known in which a surgical attachment isattached to a flexible shaft. In these systems, a surgical attachmentmay typically be manipulated and/or positioned within the patient's bodyby the user holding the flexible shaft at a location near to thesurgical attachment. For surgical locations within the patient's bodythat are difficult to access, the user may be required to hold theflexible shaft at a substantial distance from its point of connection tothe surgical attachment. However, the flexibility of the flexible shaftmay hinder a user's ability to accurately position the surgicalattachment within the body. This may be problematic when the position ofthe surgical attachment is well within the patient's body and the useris forced to hold the flexible shaft at a substantial distance from itspoint of connection to the surgical attachment. The resulting lack ofaccuracy in positioning and manipulating the surgical attachment maynegatively impact the effectiveness of the surgical attachment inperforming the surgical procedure.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates to an extender for a flexible shaft of anelectro-mechanical surgical system. The flexible shaft extender issubstantially rigid. The flexible shaft extender is configured to becoupled at one end to the flexible shaft of an electro-mechanicalsurgical system and to be coupled at its other end to a surgicalattachment. Advantageously, the flexible shaft extender includes a pairof rotatable drive shafts that are configured to engage and be securedwith rotatable drive shafts of the flexible shaft of theelectro-mechanical surgical system. In this manner, rotation of therotatable drive shafts of the flexible shaft by an electro-mechanicaldriver device may cause the drive shafts of the flexible shaft extenderto rotate, thereby rotating the complementary connectors of the surgicalattachment so as to operate the surgical attachment.

Furthermore, the flexible shaft extender may include a data wiringharness or data cable which is configured to attach to and communicatewith the surgical attachment and the data cable of the flexible shaft.In this manner, data, such as usage data, operating data, etc. may beconveyed via the flexible shaft extender between the surgical attachmentand the data cable of the flexible shaft.

The present invention provides, in an example embodiment, for a surgicalattachment used in an electro-mechanical surgical system that iscoupleable to an electro-mechanical driver device via a flexible shaft,a substantially rigid extender that includes: a proximal end configuredto be detachably coupled to a distal end of the flexible shaft; a distalend configured to be detachably coupled to the surgical attachment; atleast one rotatable drive shaft configured to engage and be secured witha respective rotatable drive shaft of the flexible shaft such thatrotation of the respective rotatable drive shaft of the flexible shaftby the electro-mechanical driver device causes the at least onerotatable drive shaft of the extender to rotate, thereby rotating acomplementary connector of the surgical attachment so as to operate thesurgical attachment. The extender may be autoclavable. The extender mayinclude a memory unit. The memory unit may be configured to store one ormore of serial number data, an attachment type identifier data and ausage data. One or more of the serial number data and the ID data may beconfigured as read-only data. The serial number data may be datauniquely identifying the extender. The ID data may be data identifyingthe type of the extender. The usage data may represent a number of timesthe extender has been used. The extender may include a data cableconfigured to transfer data between the memory unit and theelectro-mechanical driver device. The extender may also include a datacable configured to transfer data-between a memory unit located in thesurgical attachment and the electro-mechanical driver device.

The present invention also provides, in an example embodiment, a methodfor performing a surgical procedure, the method comprising the steps of:detachably coupling a proximal end of an extender to a flexible shaft,the flexible shaft being coupled to an electro-mechanical driver device,the extender being substantially rigid; detachably coupling a distal endof the extender to a surgical attachment such that at least onerotatable drive shaft engages and is secured with a respective rotatabledrive shaft of the flexible shaft; rotating the respective rotatabledrive shaft of the flexible shaft by the electro-mechanical driverdevice so as to cause the at least one rotatable drive shaft of theextender to rotate; and rotating, by the at least one rotatable driveshaft of the extender, a complementary connector of the surgicalattachment so as to operate the surgical attachment. The method mayinclude the step of storing in a memory unit of the extender one or moreof serial number data, an attachment type identifier data and a usagedata. The method may include the step of configuring one or more of theserial number data and the ID data as read-only data. The serial numberdata may be data uniquely identifying the extender. The ID data may bedata identifying the type of the extender. The usage data may representa number of times the extender has been used. The method may include thestep of transferring, via a data cable located within the extender, databetween the memory unit and the electro-mechanical driver device. Themethod may include the step of storing in a memory unit of the surgicalattachment one or more of serial number data, an attachment typeidentifier data and a usage data. The method may also include the stepof transferring, via a data cable located within the extender, databetween the memory unit and the electro-mechanical driver device.

Additional features of the flexible shaft extender of the presentinvention are discussed in greater detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a surgical system, according to an example embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 1B is a side view, partially in section, of a flexible shaft,according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of the flexible shaft taken along theline 1C-1C shown in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 1D is a rear end view of a first coupling of the flexible shaft,according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1E is a front end view of a second coupling of the flexible shaft,according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a flexible shaft extender,according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A to 3E illustrate various views of the distal tip assembly,according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A to 4D illustrate various views of the distal end tip, accordingto an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 5A to 5E illustrate various views of the DLU pin sealing element,according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 6A to 6C illustrate various views of the distal pin positioner,according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 7A to 7E illustrate various views of the tube assembly, accordingto an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 8A to 8C illustrate various views of the tube, according to anexample embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 9A to 9C illustrate various views of the tube cap, according to anexample embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 10A to 10D illustrate various views of the handle cap assembly,according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 11A to 11E illustrate various views of the handle cap, accordingto an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 12A to 12J illustrate various views of the keyplate, according toan example embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 13A to 13G illustrate various views of the quick connect collar,according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of the drive socket assembly, according toan example embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 15A to 15F illustrate various views of the drive socket spring,according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 16A and 16B illustrate various views of the drive socket sleeve,according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 17A to 17C illustrate various views of the drive shafts, accordingto an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 18A to 18C illustrate various views of the handle, according to anexample embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1A is a surgical system 100, according to an example embodiment ofthe present invention. The surgical system 100 includes anelectro-mechanical driver device 110 detachably coupled to a surgicalattachment 120. Such an electro-mechanical driver device is describedin, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/723,715, entitled“Electro-Mechanical Surgical Device,” filed on Nov. 28, 2000, now issuedas U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,652, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/836,781,entitled “Electro-Mechanical Surgical Device, filed on Apr. 17, 2001,and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/887,789, entitled“Electro-Mechanical Surgical Device,” filed on Jun. 22, 2001, each ofwhich is expressly incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Theelectro-mechanical driver device 110 may include, for example, a remotepower console (RPC) 105, which includes a housing 115 having a frontpanel 125. Mounted on the front panel 125 are a display device 130 andindicators 135 a, 135 b. A connection slot 140 is also provided on thefront panel 125. The electro-mechanical driver device 110 may alsoinclude a video display 145, e.g., a television monitor, computermonitor, CRT or other viewing device, attached to the RPC 105. The videodisplay 145 may receive, for example, image signals (e.g., videosignals) from an imaging device 195. The electro-mechanical driverdevice 110 may also include a reception system 150 having a receiver ortransceiver 155 and circuitry 160 operable to convert signals receivedfrom the imaging device 195 into a form suitable for display on thevideo display 145. The reception system 150 may also include a memorydevice 165 for buffering and/or storing processed image data receivedfrom the imaging device 195.

A flexible shaft 170 may extend from the housing 115 and may bedetachably secured thereto via a first coupling 175. The distal end 180of the flexible shaft 170 may include a second coupling 185 adapted todetachably secure the surgical attachment 120 to the distal end 180 ofthe flexible shaft 170.

Disposed within the interior channel of the flexible shaft 170, andextending along the length thereof, may be rotatable shafts, steeringcables, one or more data transfer cables and power transfer leads, allof which terminate at the second coupling 185 at the distal end 180 ofthe flexible shaft 170. The electro-mechanical driver device 110 mayinclude a motor system (not shown), which includes one or more motorsconfigured to rotate the drive shafts and to apply tension or otherwisedrive the steering cables to thereby steer the distal end 180 of theflexible shaft 170.

Various types of surgical instruments or attachments 190 may be attachedto the distal end 180 of the flexible shaft 170. The surgical instrumentor attachment may be, for example, a surgical stapler, a surgicalcutter, a surgical stapler-cutter, a linear surgical stapler, a linearsurgical stapler-cutter, a circular surgical stapler, a circularsurgical stapler-cutter, a surgical clip applier, a surgical clipligator, a surgical clamping device, a vessel expanding device, a lumenexpanding device, a scalpel, a fluid delivery device or any other typeof surgical instrument. Such surgical instruments are described, forexample, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/324,451, entitled “AStapling Device for Use with an Electromechanical Driver Device for Usewith Anastomosing, Stapling, and Resecting Instruments,” now issued asU.S. Pat. No. 6,315,184, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/324,452,entitled “Electro-mechanical Driver Device for Use with Anastomosing,Stapling, and Resecting Instruments,” now issued as U.S. Pat. No.6,443,973, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/351,534, entitled“Automated Surgical Stapling System,” now issued as U.S. Pat. No.6,264,087, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/510,926, entitled “AVessel and Lumen Expander Attachment for Use with an Electro-mechanicalDriver Device,” now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,061, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/510,927, entitled “Electro-mechanical Driver andRemote Surgical Instruments Attachment Having Computer Assisted ControlCapabilities,” now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,716,233, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/510,931, entitled “A Tissue Stapling Attachmentfor Use with an Electro-mechanical Driver Device,” now issued as U.S.Pat. No. 6,533,157, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/510,932,entitled “A Fluid Delivery Mechanism for Use with Anastomosing,Stapling, and Resecting Instruments,” now issued as U.S. Pat. No.6,491,201, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/510,933, entitled “AFluid Delivery Device for Use with Anastomosing, Stapling, and ResectingInstruments,” now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,197, each of which isexpressly incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto.

Referring to FIG. 1B, there is seen a side view, partially in section,of the flexible shaft 170. According to an example embodiment, theflexible shaft 170 includes a tubular sheath 28, which may include acoating or other sealing arrangement to provide a fluid-tight sealbetween the interior channel 40 thereof and the environment. The sheath28 may be formed of a tissue-compatible, sterilizable elastomericmaterial. The sheath 28 may also be formed of a material that isautoclavable. Disposed within the interior channel 40 of the flexibleshaft 170, and extending along the entire length thereof, may be a firstrotatable drive shaft 30, a second rotatable drive shaft 32, a firststeering cable 34, a second steering cable 35, a third steering cable36, a fourth steering cable 37 and a data transfer cable 38. FIG. 1C isa cross-sectional view of the flexible shaft 170 taken along the line1C-1C shown in FIG. 1B and further illustrates the several cables 30,32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38. Each distal end of the steering cables 34, 35,36, 37 is affixed to the distal end 180 of the flexible shaft 170. Eachof the several cables 30, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 may be contained withina respective sheath.

Referring now to FIG. 1D, there is seen a rear end view of the firstcoupling 175. The first coupling 175 includes a first connector 44, asecond connector 48, a third connector 52 and a fourth connector 56,each rotatably secured to the first coupling 175. Each of the connectors44, 48, 52, 56 includes a respective recess 46, 50, 54, 58. As shown inFIG. 1D, each recess 46, 50, 54, 58 may be hexagonally shaped. It shouldbe appreciated, however, that the recesses 46, 50, 54, 58 may have anyshape and configuration to non-rotatably couple and rigidly attach theconnectors 44, 48, 52, 56 to respective drive shafts of the motorarrangement contained within the housing 12, as more fully describedbelow. It should be appreciated that complementary projections may beprovided on respective drive shafts of the motor arrangement to therebydrive the drive elements of the flexible shaft 170 as described below.It should also be appreciated that the recesses may be provided on thedrive shafts and complementary projections may be provided on theconnectors 44, 48, 52, 56. Any other coupling arrangement configured tonon-rotatably and releasably couple the connectors 44, 48, 52, 56 andthe drive shafts of the motor arrangement may be provided.

One of the connectors 44, 48, 52, 56 is non-rotatably secured to thefirst drive shaft 30, and another one of the connectors 44, 48, 52, 56is non-rotatably secured to the second drive shaft 32. The remaining twoof the connectors 44, 48, 52, 56 engage with transmission elementsconfigured to apply tensile forces on the steering cables 34, 35, 36, 37to thereby steer the distal end 180 of the flexible shaft 170. The datatransfer cable 38 is electrically and logically connected with the dataconnector 60. The data connector 60 includes, for example, electricalcontacts 62, corresponding to and equal in number to the number ofindividual wires contained in the data cable 38. The first coupling 175includes a key structure 42 to properly orient the first coupling 175 toa mating and complementary coupling arrangement disposed on the housing115. Such key structure 42 may be provided on either one, or both, ofthe first coupling 175 and the mating and complementary couplingarrangement disposed on the housing 115. The first coupling 175 mayinclude a quick-connect type connector, which may use, for example, asimple pushing motion to engage the first coupling 175 to the housing115. Seals may be provided in conjunction with any of the severalconnectors 44, 48, 52, 56, 60 to provide a fluid-tight seal between theinterior of the first coupling 175 and the environment.

Referring now to FIG. 1E, there is seen a front end view of the secondcoupling 185 of the flexible shaft 170. The second coupling 185 includesa first connector 66 and a second connector 68, each being rotatablysecured to the second coupling 185 and each being non-rotatably securedto a distal end of a respective one of the first and second drive shafts30, 32. A quick-connect type fitting 64 is provided on the secondcoupling 185 for detachably securing the surgical instrument orattachment thereto. The quick-connect type fitting 64 may be, forexample, a rotary quick-connect type fitting, a bayonet type fitting,etc. A key structure 74 is provided on the second coupling 185 forproperly aligning the surgical instrument or attachment to the secondcoupling 185. The key structure or other arrangement for properlyaligning the surgical instrument or attachment to the flexible shaft 170may be provided on either one, or both, of the second coupling 185 andthe surgical instrument or attachment. In addition, the quick-connecttype fitting may be provided on the surgical instrument or attachment. Adata connector 70, having electrical contacts 72, is also provided inthe second coupling 185. Like the data connector 60 of the firstcoupling 175, the data connector 70 of the second coupling 185 includesthe contacts 72 electrically and logically connected to the respectivewires of the data transfer cable 38 and the contacts 62 of the dataconnector 60. Seals may be provided in conjunction with the connectors66, 68, 70 to provide a fluid-tight seal between the interior of thesecond coupling 185 and the environment.

Disposed within the housing 115 of the remote power console 105 areelectro-mechanical driver elements configured to drive the drive shafts30, 32 and the steering cables 34, 35, 36, 37 to thereby operate theelectro-mechanical surgical device 10 and the surgical instrument orattachment attached to the second coupling 185. Electric motors, eachoperating via a power source, may be disposed in the remote powerconsole 105. Any appropriate number of motors may be provided, and themotors may operate via battery power, line current, a DC power supply,an electronically controlled DC power supply, etc. It should also beappreciated that the motors may be connected to a DC power supply, whichis in turn connected to line current and which supplies the operatingcurrent to the motors.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a flexible shaft extender 10,according to an example embodiment of the present invention. Theflexible shaft extender 10 provides a substantially rigid handle thatattaches to the second coupling 185 at the distal end 180 of theflexible shaft 170. The flexible shaft extender 10 includes a distal tipassembly 201, a tube assembly 202, a distal end O-ring 203, a handle capassembly 204, a pair of drive shafts 205, a retention pin 206, a handle207, a handle screw 208, a handle O-ring 209, a pair of tubes (e.g., ofteflon) 210, a bearing block 211 and a pin block 212. FIGS. 3A to 3Eillustrate various views of the distal tip assembly 201. As shown inFIG. 3A, the distal tip assembly 201 includes a distal end tip 301, apair of bearings 302, a pair of sealing elements 303, a distal pinpositioner 304, a DLU pin sealing element 305 and a dowel pin 306. Thedistal tip assembly 201 is configured to have a surgical attachmentattached thereto. When the flexible shaft extender 10 is assembled, thedistal tip assembly 201 is attached to the distal end of the tubeassembly 202.

FIGS. 4A to 4D illustrate various views of the distal end tip 301. Thedistal end tip 301 includes two stepped bores 3011 and 3012. Inaddition, the distal end tip 301 includes a centrally-located threadedbore 3013. In addition, the distal end tip 301 includes a rectangularlongitudinal opening 3014.

FIGS. 5A to 5E illustrate various views of the DLU pin sealing element305. FIGS. 6A to 6C illustrate various views of the distal pinpositioner 304.

Referring back to FIGS. 3B and 3D, there is shown the various componentsof the distal tip assembly 201 in the assembled condition. As shown inFIG. 3B, the pair of bearings 302 are inserted within the two steppedbores 3011 and 3012 of the distal end tip 301. As shown in FIGS. 3D and3E, the distal pin positioner 304 is inserted into the distal end tip301 and fits within the rectangular longitudinal opening 3014 and isflush with the distal-most surface of the distal end tip. The DLU pinsealing element 305 maintains the distal pin positioner 304 within therectangular longitudinal opening 3014 of the distal end tip 301.

FIGS. 7A to 7E illustrate various views of the tube assembly 202. Forinstance, FIG. 7E is an exploded view of the tube assembly 202. The tubeassembly 202 includes a tube 901, a tube cap 902, a wire retention tube903, a screw 904 and a distal end 0-ring 905.

FIGS. 8A to 8C illustrate various views of the tube 901. FIGS. 9A to 9Cillustrate various views of the tube cap 902. The tube cap 902 mayinclude first second, third and fourth orifices 9021, 9022, 9023 and9024 and a central orifice 9025.

Referring back to FIG. 7D, there is shown the various components of thetube assembly 202 in the assembled condition. As shown in FIG. 7D, thetube 901 may be welded to the tube cap 902. The wire retention tube 903is arranged longitudinally within the tube 901 and may be welded to thetube cap 902 so as to be longitudinally aligned with the orifice 9022 ofthe tube cap 902. The screw 904 is inserted through the central orifice9025 of the tube cap. The distal end O-ring 905 is retained around thescrew 904 in a distal recess of the tube cap 902.

FIGS. 10A to 10D illustrate various views of the handle cap assembly204. FIG. 10A is an exploded view of the handle cap assembly 204. Thehandle cap assembly 204 includes a handle cap 1601, a keyplate 1602, aquick connect collar 1603, a pair of bearings 1604, a pair of proximalsealing elements 1605, a screw 1606, a wiring harness assembly 1607, anoutboard shim 1608, an inboard shim 1609, a spring 1610, a handle O-ring1611, a drive socket assembly 1612, a drive socket spring 1613, a quickconnect spring 1614, a bearing spacer 1615 and potting 1616.

The wiring harness assembly 1607 includes at its proximal end a devicehaving a connector (e.g., for connection to the data transfer cable 38of the flexible shaft 170), a memory unit 174 that may store varioustypes of data, and one or more wires or cables extending distallytherefrom. An exemplary memory unit 174 is described in, for example,U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/723,715, entitled“Electro-Mechanical Surgical Device,” filed on Nov. 28, 2000, U.S.patent application Ser. No. 09/836,781, entitled “Electro-MechanicalSurgical Device, filed on Apr. 17, 2001, and U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/887,789, entitled “Electro-Mechanical Surgical Device,”filed on Jun. 22, 2001, each of which, as stated above, is expresslyincorporated herein in its entirety by reference. For instance, thememory unit 174 may store, for instance, serial number data 180, anattachment type identifier data 182 and a usage data 184. Memory unit174 may additionally store other data. Both the serial number data 180and the ID data 182 may be configured as read-only data. In the exampleembodiment, serial number data 180 is data uniquely identifying theparticular flexible shaft extender, whereas the ID data 182 is dataidentifying the type of the flexible shaft extender, such as, forexample, a flexible shaft extender of a given length. The usage data 184represents usage of the particular flexible shaft extender, such as, forexample, the number of times the flexible shaft extender has been used.

It should be appreciated that the flexible shaft extender 10 may bedesigned and configured to be used a single time or multiple times.Accordingly, the usage data 184 may be used to determine whether theflexible shaft extender 10 has been used and whether the number of useshas exceeded the maximum number of permitted uses. An attempt to use theflexible shaft extender 10 after the maximum number of permitted useshas been reached may generate an ERROR condition.

FIGS. 11A to 11E illustrate various views of the handle cap 1601. FIGS.12A to 12J illustrate various views of the keyplate 1602. FIGS. 13A to13G illustrate various views of the quick connect collar 1603.

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of the drive socket assembly 1612. The drivesocket assembly 1612 includes a drive socket 2601 and a drive socketsleeve 2602. FIGS. 15A to 15F illustrate various views of the drivesocket spring 2601. The drive socket spring 2601 has a longitudinal slit2702 at its distal end and a centrally-disposed, longitudinally-arrangedarranged bore 2701. FIGS. 16A and 16B illustrate various views of thedrive socket sleeve 2602.

Referring back to FIG. 10B, there is shown the various components of thehandle cap assembly 204 in the assembled condition. As shown in FIG.10B, the keyplate 1602 is mounted to the proximal surface of the handlecap 1601 by the screw 1606. The quick connect collar 1603 is retainedagainst the proximal surface of the handle cap 1601 by being in lockedengagement between the keyplate 1602 and the handle cap 1601. The quickconnect collar 1603 is configured to be detachably coupled to the secondcoupling 185 at the distal end 180 of the flexible shaft 170. The pairof bearings 1604 fit within corresponding orifices of the handle cap1601. One each of the bearing spacers 1615, the proximal sealingelements 1605 and the bearings 1604 are mounted on a respective drivesocket 2601, and operate to rotatably retain the drive socket 2601within respective orifices of the handle cap 1601. The wiring harness1607 is retained within the handle cap assembly 204 such that a proximalend is accessible via an opening in the keyplate 1602, and a distal endextends to the distal end of the tube assembly 202 and out of an orificeof the distal tip assembly 201. In this manner, data may be conveyed viathe wiring harness 1607 from a surgical attachment attached to thedistal tip assembly 201 to the data transfer cable 38 within theflexible shaft 170.

FIGS. 17A to 17C illustrate various views of the drive shafts 205. Inthe example embodiments discussed and illustrated herein, the flexibleshaft extender 10 includes two drive shafts 205, though any number,e.g., one or more, drive shafts may be employed. The drive shafts 205are rotatable within the flexible shaft extender 10 so as to rotate arespective component of the surgical attachment. The proximal ends ofthe drive shafts 205 are insertable within and rotatably secured withinthe bore 2701 of the drive socket 2601.

FIGS. 18A to 18C illustrate various views of the handle 207. When theflexible shaft extender 10 is assembled, the rotatable drive shafts 205are positioned within the tubes 210, which may be made of a material,e.g., teflon, that minimizes the friction between the rotatable driveshafts 205 and the tubes 210.

In use, the quick connect collar 1603 is attached to the second coupling185 at the distal end 180 of the flexible shaft 170. In this manner, thefirst connector 66 and the second connector 68 of the second coupling185, that engage and are rotatably secured with first and secondrotatable drive shafts 30 and 32, may also engage and be rotatablysecured with the drive socket assembly 1612, which in turn engages andis rotatably secured with the proximal ends of the drive shafts 205.

In addition, a surgical attachment 190 may be attached to the distal tipassembly 201. In this manner, the distal ends of the drive shafts 205may engage and be rotatably secured with complementary connectors of thesurgical attachment 190. Rotation of the first and second rotatabledrive shafts 30 and 32 of the flexible shaft 170 by theelectro-mechanical driver device 110 cause the drive shafts 205 of theflexible shaft extender 10 to rotate, which thereby rotate thecomplementary connectors of the surgical attachment 190 so as to operatethe surgical attachment 190. Furthermore, data, such as usage data,operating data, etc. may be conveyed between the surgical attachment 190and the data transfer cable 38 of the flexible shaft 170, and from thememory unit 174 of the flexible shaft extender 10 to the data transfercable 38 of the flexible shaft 170.

The flexible shaft extender 10 provides a substantially rigid devicethat may be inserted by a user into a surgical site. The flexible shaftextender 10 may provide a user with improved control of the surgicalattachment 190, as compared to the use of, e.g., a surgical attachment190, that is attached directly to, e.g., the flexible shaft 170. Forinstance, when a surgical attachment is attached to a conventionalflexible shaft, the surgical attachment is typically manipulated and/orpositioned within the patient's body by the user holding the flexibleshaft at a location near to the surgical attachment. For surgicallocations within the patient's body that are difficult to access, theuser may be required to hold the flexible shaft at a substantialdistance from its point of connection to the surgical attachment.However, the flexibility of the flexible shaft may hinder a user'sability to accurately position the surgical attachment within the body.This may be problematic when the position of the surgical attachment iswell within the patient's body and the user is forced to hold theflexible shaft at a substantial distance from its point of connection tothe surgical attachment. The resulting lack of accuracy in positioningand manipulating the surgical attachment may negatively impact theeffectiveness of the surgical attachment in performing the surgicalprocedure. However, the present invention according to variousembodiments thereof, provides a substantially rigid extender between thesurgical attachment and the flexible shaft. In this manner, a surgicalattachment may be manipulated and/or positioned within the patient'sbody by the user holding the extender. Thus, for any surgical locationswithin a patient's body, and particularly for those surgical locationsthat are difficult to access, the user may hold the extender at asubstantial distance from its point of connection to the surgicalattachment without the flexibility of the flexible shaft hindering theuser's ability to accurately position the surgical attachment within thebody. Even when the position of the surgical attachment is well withinthe patient's body and the user is forced to hold the extender at asubstantial distance from its point of connection to the surgicalattachment, the substantially rigid extender may enable improved controlby the user of the surgical attachment when positioning or manipulatingsame. The resulting improvement of accuracy in positioning andmanipulating the surgical attachment may improve the effectiveness ofthe surgical attachment in performing the surgical procedure.

Furthermore, the flexible shaft extender 10 may be autoclavable byvirtue of the material with which it is constructed, as well as thesealing components that prevent moisture from entering the flexibleshaft extender 10. When autoclavable, the flexible shaft extender may bere-used, e.g., for different patients, different types of surgicalprocedures and/or with different surgical attachments, thereby providinga significant cost savings relative to single-use devices.

Thus, the several aforementioned objects and advantages of the presentinvention are most effectively attained. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that numerous modifications of the exemplary embodimentdescribed hereinabove may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. Although various exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention has been described and disclosed in detail herein, itshould be understood that this invention is in no sense limited thereby.

1. In an electro-mechanical surgical system including a surgicalattachment detachably coupleable to at least one drive member of anelectro-mechanical driver device, the electro-mechanical surgical systemfurther including an extender comprising: a housing having a proximalend and a distal end; a proximal coupling disposed at the proximal endof the housing and being configured to be detachably coupled to acoupling providing operative connection to at least one drive member ofthe electro-mechanical driver device; a distal coupling disposed at thedistal end of the housing and being configured to be detachably coupledto a proximal coupling of the surgical attachment; and at least tworotatable shafts disposed within the housing, each rotatable shaft beingconfigured to engage and be secured with a respective rotatable drivemember of the electro-mechanical driver device such that rotation of therespective rotatable drive members by the electro-mechanical driverdevice causes the at least two rotatable shafts of the extender torotate, thereby transmitting a force to the surgical attachment so as tooperate the surgical attachment.
 2. The extender of claim 1, wherein theextender is flexible.
 3. The extender of claim 1, wherein the extenderis curved.
 4. The extender of claim 1, further comprising a memory unit.5. The extender of claim 4, wherein the memory unit is configured tostore one or more of serial number data, an attachment type identifierdata and a usage data.
 6. The extender of claim 5, wherein one or moreof the serial number data and the ID data is configured as read-onlydata.
 7. The extender of claim 6, wherein the serial number data is datauniquely identifying the extender.
 8. The extender of claim 6, whereinthe ID data is data identifying the type of the extender.
 9. Theextender of claim 6, wherein the usage data represents a number of timesthe extender has been used.
 10. The extender of claim 4, furthercomprising a data cable configured to transfer data between the memoryunit and the electromechanical driver device.
 11. The extender of claim1, wherein the extender further comprises a data cable configured totransfer data between a memory unit located in the surgical attachmentand the electro-mechanical driver device.
 12. An electro-mechanicalsurgical system, comprising: an electro-mechanical driver deviceincluding at least one rotatable drive member; a surgical attachmentdetachably coupleable to the electro-mechanical driver device; and anextender comprising: a housing having a proximal end and a distal end; aproximal coupling disposed at the proximal end of the housing and beingconfigured to be detachably coupled to a coupling providing operativeconnection to the at least one drive member of the electro-mechanicaldriver device; a distal coupling disposed at the distal end of thehousing and being configured to be detachably coupled to a proximalcoupling of the surgical attachment; and at least two rotatable shaftsdisposed within the housing, each rotatable shaft being configured toengage and be secured with a respective rotatable drive member of theelectro-mechanical driver device such that rotation of the respectiverotatable drive members by the electro-mechanical driver device causesthe at least two rotatable shafts of the extender to rotate, therebytransmitting a force to the surgical attachment so as to operate thesurgical attachment.
 13. The electro-mechanical surgical system of claim12, wherein the extender further comprises a memory unit.
 14. Theelectro-mechanical surgical system of claim 13, wherein the memory unitis configured to store one or more of serial number data, an attachmenttype identifier data and a usage data.
 15. The electro-mechanicalsurgical system of claim 13, wherein the extender further comprises adata cable configured to transfer data between the memory unit and theelectromechanical driver device.
 16. The electro-mechanical surgicalsystem of claim 12, wherein the extender further comprises a data cableconfigured to transfer data between a memory unit located in thesurgical attachment and the electro-mechanical driver device.
 17. Theelectro-mechanical surgical system of claim 12, wherein the surgicalattachment is a surgical stapler-cutter.
 18. The electro-mechanicalsurgical system of claim 12, wherein the extender is flexible.
 19. Theelectro-mechanical surgical system of claim 12, wherein the extender iscurved.
 20. In an electro-mechanical surgical system including asurgical attachment detachably coupleable to at least one drive memberof an electro-mechanical driver device, the electro-mechanical surgicalsystem further including an extender comprising: a housing having aproximal end and a distal end; a proximal coupling disposed at theproximal end of the housing and being configured to be detachablycoupled to a coupling providing operative connection to at least onedrive member of the electro-mechanical driver device; a distal couplingdisposed at the distal end of the housing and being configured to bedetachably coupled to a proximal coupling of the surgical attachment;and at least two force transmitting systems disposed within the housing,each force transmitting system being configured to engage and be securedwith a respective rotatable drive member of the electro-mechanicaldriver device, wherein each force transmitting system receives arotative force from the respective rotatable drive member and transmitsa force to the surgical attachment so as to operate the surgicalattachment.
 21. The electro-mechanical surgical system of claim 20,wherein the at least two force transmitting systems of the extender areconfigured such that rotation of the respective rotatable drive membersby the electro-mechanical driver device causes the at least two forcetransmitting members of the extender to at least partially rotate. 22.The electro-mechanical surgical system of claim 20, wherein the at leasttwo force transmitting systems includes: a first force transmittingsystem being configured to selectively engage and be secured with afirst respective rotatable drive member of the electro-mechanical driverdevice, wherein the first force transmitting system receives a rotativeforce from the first respective rotatable drive member and transmits afirst force to the surgical attachment so as to actuate a first functionof the surgical attachment; and a second force transmitting system beingconfigured to selectively engage and be secured with a second respectiverotatable drive member of the electro-mechanical driver device, whereinthe second force transmitting system receives a rotative force from thesecond respective rotatable drive member and transmits a second force tothe surgical attachment so as to actuate a second function of thesurgical attachment.